Allure Summer 2014 Must-Haves Beauty Box

The Box: Allure Beauty Box

The Cost: $44.95 + shipping and tax

The Goods: A selection of must-have beauty products.  This one is no longer available, but Allure has them 2-3 times a year.

I was surprised how light the box was compared to last summer's.  When I opened it, I realized that it was probably because they used a LOT less packing in this one.

Aloxxi Flexible Hairspray: ($15.99)  My grandmother was in the hospital for 16 days a couple weeks ago.  My aunt came down to sit with her but she forgot all her hair fix'n supplies, so I gave her this.  The woman probably goes through a can of hairspray a week.

Big Sexy Hair Get Layered Hairspray: ($17.95)  When my box came I had no layers and no need for this.  Now I have layers, so I'll have to try this out!

Burt's Bees Even-Tone Moisturizing Cream: ($19.99)  I don't really have an uneven skin tone, but I love pretty much all things Burt's Bees.

Cargo Cosmetics Essential Lip Gloss: ($16)  I don't really find anything that special about this gloss.  The color isn't very noticeable but at least the gloss isn't sticky.

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleansing Cloths: ($7.49)  I use cleansing cloths regularly, so I'm always happy to have more.  These aren't drying at all but do a decent job removing makeup.

Developlus Anti-Aging Hair Treatment System:  Hmm...I don't think I've yet hit the point where I feel like my hair needs to look more youthful.

Dove Purely Pampering Body Wash: ($7.79)  Pistachio and Magnolia is not a scent I would have expected to like, but I do.  We have an abundance of body wash so I'm hoping that this will lather enough to make a bubble bath.

Flower Nail'd It Nail Lacquer - I Lavendare You!: ($4.98)  The only reason I haven't tried anything from the Flower brand is that I loathe Walmart.  I'm glad to finally get to try it and I love this pale purple color.

GK Hair ThermalStyleHer: ($19)  I've had a hard time finding a heat protecting product that works without making my hair look greasy or heavy.  Hopefully this one will fit the bill.

It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream - Medium: ($38) Sadly, this is much too dark for my skin tone.  Oh, the woes of having vampire-skin.

Neutrogena Moisture Smooth Color Stick - Bright Berry: ($8.49)  The color lives up to its name - it's definitely bright but it doesn't make me feel like a clown.  It also feels nice on the lips and smells delicious.

Neutrogena UltraSheer Face & Body Stick Sunscreen: ($9.99) J totally thought this was deodorant.  I go through a tremendous amount of sunscreen every summer, so this was actually one of the items I was most excited about.

Not Your Mother's Intensive Hair Unit Renewal Treatment: ($7.99)  J recently discovered how awesome hair masks and deep conditioners are.  Needless to say, this will definitely be used.

One 'N Only Argan Oil Cream-to-Serum Styler: ($9.99)  Okay, so I get products that are cream-to-powder and things like that, but are creams and serums so completely different that you can tell when one changes into the other?

Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Heat Protect Spray: ($23)  I don't know if I have been using this wrong or what, but I am not a fan.  It seems like the sections I use this on wind up feeling drier, rougher and more damaged.

Pureology Fresh Approach Dry Conditioner: ($24)  I'm not sure if it's really helped or not, but I used this the last time I used dry shampoo and it seemed to make my hair softer.

Redken Mess Around 10 Disrupting Cream-Paste: ($16)  My hair is too long for this to really be helpful.  Maybe J can use it?

Rembrandt Deeply White Toothpaste: ($6.99)  This exploded everywhere when I first opened it.  I haven't used it long enough to notice any whitening effects, but I have to say...you can certainly taste the peroxide in this.

Rimmel London Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara: ($5.99)  I've already got about four tubes of mascara open so I haven't opened this yet.

Rusk Freezing Spray: ($19)  I really need to amp up my hairspray usage.  I'm pretty sure I still have a bottle left from the last Allure box I got. 

Sally Hansen Triple Shine Nail Color and Top Coat - Statemint: ($4.99 ea)  I can easily say this color is unlike anything I have.  It's not a color I would have chosen for myself but I can probably come up with some nail art using it.

Softsoap Sea Kissed Exfoliating Body Wash: ($5.49)  I feel like I've smelled a hundred body washes with this same scent.  It's not terrible, but it's not unique.

TanTowel Classic Self-Tan Towelettes: ($12)  I don't do self tanners but I know several people who do, so I can easily find someone to hand these off to.

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara: ($20)  Here again, too many mascaras, too little time.

Total Value:  Over $326

 I know, I know - I'm super late with this review.  I'm already anxiously awaiting the Fall box now!  Last year it went on sale in late July, so maybe the time will fly by.  (Hopefully the launch will go more smoothly than this one did.)

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Bonjour Jolie Summer Blowout Mystery Box Review

The Box: Bonjour Jolie's Mystery Box (no longer available)

The Cost: $15 + $5 shipping

The Goods: 5+ teas, 10+ sweets, 5+ pampering items, and 2 mystery gifts.

 Oatfield Chocolate Orange Candies: ($.72/ea)  These Irish hard candies have an orange shell with a chocolate center.  They're good, though I wish the chocolate centers were just a bit larger.  Each candy in the roll has its own little wrapper, which is nice.

Craisins Pomegranate: ($.66)  I've only ever had the regular Craisins, but I think I like these better!

Swiss Miss with Marshmallows: ($.11)  We go through a lot of hot cocoa at our house.  I think J actually used this right after I unpacked it.

Bewley's Irish Breakfast Tea: ($.57)  I'm not a massive fan of hot tea, but I've developed quite the collection.  I should probably sort through it all and either give it a go or give it away.

Good Earth Teas: ($.75)  Okay, you know what I *just* said about not liking hot teas?  Yeah, if there were ever flavors that could change my  mind about that...it might be one of these three.

Stash Mango Passionfruit Herbal Tea: ($.25)  I've already given this to my grandmother since she avoids caffeine.  I should check back and find out what she thought about it.

Teashop Premium Blend:  I can't seem to find anything about this brand.  It's certainly the least pretty tea that they included, but I know you can't judge a book by its cover.

Oatfield Irish Butter Toffee:  Soooo good.  The only downside to these is that they quite chewy and not for the faint of jaw.

Oatfield Chocolate Peppermint: ($.59)  These are kind of similar to the orange chocolates.  The peppermint is refreshing without being extremely overwhelming, and the chocolate is subtle.

Goezte's Mini Cow Tales: ($.36) I love Cow Tales. If you've never had one, they're basically caramel ropes with cream in the middle.

Bewley's Cafe Biscuits: ($0.43)  These are sort of similar to a graham cracker but...better.  They're light and just...tasty.

Goetze's Caramel Creams: ($.56)  I'm pretty sure these are the same thing as Cow Tails but bigger.

Adam's Chiclets: ($.10/ea) I used to love the tiny Chiclets when I was a kid, but I'm not sure I'd ever had the mint ones until now.

Charleston Chews: ($.25/ea) I ADORE Charleston Chews, but I never really think about them unless I happen upon them - usually while perusing CVS.

Radical Works Soap Samples: ($5)  All of these scents are actually nice.  Cola is probably the most unique scent, but Sweet Lemon is my favorite.

Dickinson's Witch Hazel On the Go Towelettes: ($.44)  J and I occasionally go hiking and geocaching, which involves me slathering on sunscreen and bug spray and then getting hot and sweaty.  These will be great to clean my face of all that grossness afterwards. 

Basic Earth Botanicals Massage Bar Soap: ($.31) I know I've used this at a hotel before, but I can't remember which one.  It's not the fanciest soap, I do like the massage aspect.

Tulip Body Lotion: ($.25) This lotion is a bit too strong for me, but J likes it for some reason.  He's already stolen one of the little tubes for himself.

Blarney Stone Farm Castile Soap: ($2) This soap has no added perfumes, but it actually smells delicious!  

Cotton Candy Bath Salts: ($1) It actually smells just like cotton candy.  I kind of feel obligated to use this while drinking some sort of frou frou girly drink and reading chick lit. :)

Silver Shamrock Bracelet: ($14) It's not something I'd wear every day, but maybe it will make a cute accessory for St. Patrick's Day.

Bronze Key Necklace: ($10)  I have a thing for keys, so this necklace is a total win.

Total Value: ~$40

Well, it took me a while to get this review up but...better late than never, right?  I think they do these mystery box sales once or twice a year.  Most, if not all, of these were sent out in previous Bonjour Jolie boxes.  It kind of makes me miss my subscription!

Manicure of the Week - Jackie Stripes After School

My life has been crazy hectic so I haven't had much time for doing my nails lately.  I kept breaking my nails, but they've finally grown into a more reasonable length so I decided to give some simple nail art a go. 

I used one coat of Zoya Jacqueline, then put striping tape down on my nails and painted over it with Essie After School Boy Blazer.  It's far from perfect, but I'm pretty happy with it overall.

May Loot Crate Review - Adventure

The Box: Loot Crate

The Price: $13.37 plus shipping

The Goods: 6-8 items perfect for a geek or gamer with a total value of $40+.

May's theme was Adventure.  Loot Crate went digital with their magazine this month, but the button design is pretty cool.

Minecraft Hanger Blind Keychain: ($5.99)  J and I both like Minecraft so this was a win before we even opened it.  I was hoping for a sheep, but we think the sword is cool too.

Zen Monkey Describing the Legend Tee: ($19.99) This tee is SO cool.  Link is made up of words describing him and the game.  I really like that 'Jars' is on there.

Curator Stickers, CaptainSparklez Stickers, and Markiplier Tattoos:  Neither J nor I had heard of Markiplier or CaptainSparklez.  I guess we have some Youtubing to do!

 The Friend Zone Soundtrack:  Yet another thing we hadn't heard of.

Adventure Time Mystery Tins: ($7.09) I've seen exactly half an episode of Adventure Time, which is more than J has seen.  It's next in my Netflix queue though!

Dangerous to Go Alone Bottle Opener:  Love this.  Love, love love.

Total Value: More than $33.06

As usual, J said the shirt alone made this box worthwhile.